1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a zoom lens system and, in particular, to a zoom lens system suitable for an imaging lens system employed in an interchangeable lens apparatus in a so-called interchangeable-lens type digital camera system (simply referred to as a “camera system”, in some cases hereinafter). Further, the present invention relates to an interchangeable lens apparatus and a camera system that employ this zoom lens system.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, interchangeable-lens type digital camera systems are spreading rapidly. Such an interchangeable-lens type digital camera system has: a camera body employing an image sensor composed of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) or the like; and an interchangeable lens apparatus employing an imaging lens system for forming an optical image on the light receiving plane of the image sensor. Zoom lens systems applicable to such a camera system are disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 2005-284097, 2005-352057, 2006-221092, 2005-316396, 2006-267425, 2007-219315, 2008-3195 and 2008-15251.
On the other hand, camera systems are known that have the function (referred to as a “live view function”, hereinafter) of displaying image data acquired by a shooting lens system and an image sensor onto a display apparatus such as a liquid crystal display in the camera body (e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 2000-111789 and 2000-333064).
In the camera systems described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 2000-111789 and 2000-333064, focusing operation is performed by a contrast AF method when the live view function is active. The contrast AF indicates focusing operation performed on the basis of a contrast value of image data outputted from the image sensor. The operation of contrast AF is described below.
First, a camera system oscillates a focusing lens unit in optical axis directions at a high speed (referred to as “wobbling”, hereinafter) so as to detect the direction of deviation from an in-focus condition. After the wobbling, the camera system detects a signal component in a particular frequency band of the image region from the output signal of the image sensor, and then calculates the optimal position for the focusing lens unit that realizes an in-focus condition. After that, the camera system moves the focusing lens unit to the optimal position, so that the focusing operation is completed. When focusing operation is to be performed continuously in the case of shooting a video or the like, the camera system repeats this series of operation.
In general, for the purpose of avoiding uneasiness that could be caused by flicker and the like, displaying of a video is performed at a high speed approximately of 30 frames per second or the like. Thus, basically, video image taking in the interchangeable-lens type digital camera system need also be performed at 30 frames per second. Accordingly, the focusing lens unit need be driven at a high speed of 30 Hz at the time of wobbling.
Nevertheless, when the focusing lens unit is heavier, a motor or an actuator of larger size is necessary for moving the focusing lens unit at a high speed. This causes a problem that the lens barrel has an excessively large outer diameter. Then, in each of the zoom lens systems described in the above-mentioned patent documents, the focusing lens unit is hardly of light weight.
Further, it should be noted that in interchangeable-lens type digital camera systems, the size of the image corresponding to a photographic object varies in association with wobbling. The variation in the size of the image is caused mainly by the fact that the movement of the focusing lens unit in the optical axis directions generates a change in the focal length of the entire lens system. Then, when a large change in the image taking magnification is generated in association with wobbling, the person who takes an image feels uneasiness.